On 26 October 2024, the Taliban’s Ministry of the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (MoPVPV) posted a two-minute audio clip from acting Minister Sheikh Mohammad Khalid Hanafi, dated 24 October, on its official X account. The post asked: “In which situations is the voice of women considered awrah (forbidden)?”

Referring to Clause 3 of Article 13 in the Taliban’s Law on Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (PVPV Law, announced 21 August 2024), Hanafi noted the law “explicitly states women are forbidden from loud recitations, singing nasheeds (Islamic vocal songs or chants), and performing songs.”

He said: "It is prohibited for a grown woman to recite Quranic verses or perform recitations in front of another grown woman. Even chants of takbir (Allahu Akbar) are not permitted.

“When an adult woman is praying, and another adult woman crosses in front of her, she should not say ‘Alhamdulillah’ (‘Glory be to God’) or ‘Subhanallah’ (‘Praise be to God’) [to signal her to stop, as it is not permitted in Islam to walk past in front of someone who is praying]. Instead, she should clap her right hand against her left.”

He concluded: “As women are not permitted to recite the takbir (the phrase ‘Allahu Akbar’, or ‘God is Great’) or to call the azan (the call to prayer), how can singing be allowed for them [in a public setting]?”

Hanafi also emphasized that the law’s implementation would be gradual. Several Afghan and international media outlets reported on Hanafi’s remarks. Afghan Witness noted some misinterpretations, clarifying that the remarks concerned the PVPV Law’s implementation and were not a new ban on women speaking to each other aloud, but specifically targeted singing and religious recitation.

This pronouncement by Sheikh Mohammad Khalid Hanafi further codifies the Taliban’s gender-restrictive interpretation of Islamic law, particularly concerning women's presence in religious and public life. By publicly framing women’s voices—specifically in religious contexts—as “awrah” (forbidden), the Ministry reinforces systemic silencing of women under the guise of moral regulation. Though framed as a clarification of existing law (Article 13), it operates as both a directive to enforcers and a chilling message to women, signaling how the regime’s legal framework is weaponized to suppress even non-political expressions such as recitation or praise.